Material containing parchmentized fiber and method of producing the same



Em M 3935. I E. E. STRAWN Y W MATERIAL CONTAINING PARCHMENTIZED FIBER AND METHOD OF PRODUCING THE SAME Filed July 27, 1932 FILM SCRAP LIQUOR APPLIED BEFORE PlVRGI/METIZ N6 STRIFPEP SHEET 0F PARCHMENTIZED PAPER can r/m; MA TERI/IL Aucuaksa 11v FI/ZZ) PART OF STRIPPED SHEET FILM SCRAFLIQl/OR TENDRILS ANCHORED INPARCHMEMTIZED PAPER FILM SCRAP LIQI/GR APPLIED BEFORE PflRC/IMENTIZING PARCHNENT/ZED PULP WOVEN E/(SE PfiRCHMENT/ZED PULP WITNESS IN VENTOR 5/? 011/ 15. Erma w/v A froze/v5 VS Patented Dec. 10, 1935 PATENT OFFICE MATERIAL GONTAININ G PARCHIHENTIZED FIBER AND METHOD OF PRODUCING THE SAME Ervin E. Strawn,

Passaic, N. J'.,- assignor to Paterson Parchment Paper Company, Passaic, N. J.,

a corporation of New Jersey Application July 27, 1932, Serial No. c25,219

l4 Claims.

The invention relates to the production of imitation leather, transfer paper and other products from impregnated absorbent paper or fabric. In one form of the invention, imitation leather is produced having a surface wrinkled or distorted in an irregular pattern similar to that of real leather. The invention also contemplates producing imitation leather which will have the feel of leather to the touch.

Other objects such as the production of the product economically, etc., will appear from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing which illustrates several embodiments of the invention without defining its limits. In said drawing, Fig. 1 illustrates a diagrammatic sectional view of an embodiment of the invention; Fig. 2 is a similarview showing the lower portion of the base material stripped ofiyFig. 3 shows the lower stripped portion of the base material with a coating attached to its fuzzy side, and Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic sectional view of another embodiment of the invention.

In carrying out the invention I preferably use as the base a of my product an unsized paper of the character known in the trade as waterleaf. A waterleaf sheet which is very-porous and absorbent is preferred Such paper maybe manufactured in any 'regular way' but without simng. The waterleaf sheet may be of any desired or standard weight and thickness but must necessarily be a cellulose material and of a-porous and absorbent nature. To the surface of the waterleaf sheet I apply a coating b, the material of which enters into and anchors itself within the porous absorbent fabric of the waterleaf sheet, the penetration taking the form of microscopic legs extending down into the pores of the water- -leaf. Any standard method of coating may be used. The viscosity of the coating should be such as to permit the coating material to anchor itself thoroughly in the waterleaf in the manner described and not merely to' lie upon the surface of the waterleaf without thorough anchorage in the pores of the paper. In fact there should be preferably only an extremely thin, almost microscopic surface film, so that the coating material is practically all contained, within the body of the "paper with its top surface practicailyhush with theupper fibers of the paper.- When the paper is coated as described, it has a smooth surface and resembles ordinary coated papers in appearance but due to the greater porosity of waterieaf paper, the coating material has penetrated to such an extent not protected by the coating product made as into the o e 0. t e Pa a not (Cl. 8-20) l to have increased materially'the transverse dimensions of the coated product.

I next expose the coated sheet to any available parchmentizing treatment such as is used in the manufacture of vegetable parchment. One method of parchmentizing, here referred to for illustrative purposes only, involves passing the sheet through a sulphuric acid bath followed by washing, neutralizing and drying. The eflfect of this treatment is to hydrolize the fibers of the 10 paper, the acid in the state of dilution in which it is' used for the parchmentizing process having no destructive or deteriorating effect upon the coating material. Those cellulose fibers which were material and which received the full "effect of the parchmentizing treatment are chemically changed to -amyleid. This change results ina shrinkage which in turn causes the parchmentized fibers to close in upon the microscopic legs of the coating material which extends into the waterleaf sheet due to the porosity and absorbent quality of said sheet. The shrinkage which occurs not only results in establishing a permanent anchorage between the coating material and the base sheet, but causes .a natural wrinkling or distortion throughout the entire body of united paper and coating, with the result that the coated surface requires the appearance of natural leather while the underside represents... a parchment-like material. The union between the parchmentized fibers of the paper and the coating material is so intimate that in the case where the paper base is thoroughly parchmentized throughout they cannot be stripped from each other. Inorder to soften the sheet, glycerine or other hygroscopic substance or mixture of substances may be applied by any standard method.

A coating material excellently suited for the purposes of this invention is found in the article 40 known as film scrap liquor produced from waste moving picture films and obtainable at low 'cost. This type of material, when applied to the waterleaf paper, should be applied without having much excess ,of the liquor lying upon the surface, as such excess may result in the formation of blisters when the fibers of the paper are dis-.

torted during the parchmentizing step. ,The

thus far described has considerable strength and can be roughly manipulated by creasing, rolling between the flngers,'and similar operations, without losing its character.

Other coating materials may be employed and for this purpose I may use any substance capable of absorption by the base and not subject to diswill be not a leather substitute but a transfer,

sheet useful for copying purposes like carbon paper. Thus a variety of products suitable for a variety of diverse uses may be produced according to the type of material selected for the coating.

In cases where it is desired to have a very thin yet strong sheet resembling a very thin leather skiver, I proceed as follows: When an ordinary paper base material is used, the thinness of the product always depends upon the thinness of the sheet and even with the thinnest sheet which it is possible to handle and pass through the coating operation, the product is still not thin enough for my purposes. I therefore, beginning with a waterleaf sheet a, (preferably of the variety which is about fifty pounds basis, 24 x 36, 500 sheets) coat one side thereof with a coating b, the viscosity of which is suitable for proper penetration into the waterleaf sheet. The penetration that takes place is sufiicient to securely anchor the coat to the surface fibers of the waterleaf sheet. I next pass the coated waterleaf sheet rapidly. through an ordinary parchmentizing bath, thereby well parchmentizing the uncoated surface of the waterleaf sheet, the acid parchmentizing bath having no effect on the coating.

By running the sheet through the acid rapidly the paper sheet tends to split, due to the fact that the parchmentizing treatment was so rapidly conducted that it but partially affected the fibers associated with the coating or at least the fibers at this point have received a very much less intense parchmentizing treatment. The result is that a portion b of the parchmentized waterleaf sheet can be stripped off, as shown in Fig. 2. leaving a very thin layer :1 composed in the main part of coating material b embedded in sufficient 'fiber (approximately, for example, 5 pounds to the ream), to impart strength. This fiber is still partly in its initial felted condition but has innumerable ends which extend outwardly from the underside of the coating material rendering the undersurface c somewhat fuzzy and-therefore susceptible of forming an excellent union with another material with which it may subsequently be adhesively associated. The part of the sheet 'b which has been more intensely parchmentized,

when split away from the coated surface also has a fuzzy or fibrous surface 9 on the side which was split away, while the opposite surface it is tough and well parchmentized. The fuzzy part of the sheet 9 may now be coated in the regular way by applying a coating material 7' to the fibrous or fuzzy side 9, as shown in Fig. 3, which side offers an excellent surface for holding coating material to the sheet or for adhesive connecion with similar or other materials. The stripped parchmentized portion) of the sheet a may, of course, also be creped or otherwise treated and be put to a variety of uses.

In order to practice the process no special machinery is required. The paper may be'passed from a roll through a conventional lacquer-applying coating machine, be then drawn through a tower within which the lacquer is given an opportunity of setting and drying before the paper is introduced to the chemical or acid bath of the parchmentizlng step or the coated paper may be wound up on rolls and introduced to the acid treatment as desired from time to time and independently of the coating step,

If coating material is applied to parchmentized paper, it does not adhere sufficiently to result in a practical product nor will the coating in such a case be contorted into a leather-like appearanceo In order to secure the effects of the 5 present invention, it is essential to start with a baseof cellulosic fibrous material sufliciently porous and absorbent to permit the coating material to find a thorough anchorage followed by the application to the coated fabric of a chemical 10 treatment to parchmentize the vegetable fiber. The coating, of course, should in each instance be of such a nature as not to be aflected by the chemicals of the parchmentizing step. Any suitable color may be imparted to the coating.

Instead of waterleaf, ground wood paper unsized or cotton or other vegetable fabric may be used for the base material provided always that the material possesses the requisite porosity and absorbent quality. In some cases the paper may be directly formed from the pulp upon a woven or similar fabric. For example, a coarse material, such as cheesecloth Ic having open meshes, may have a layer Z of matted paper pulp fibers applied to it in the paper mill, the fibers of the paper in that case anchoring themselves in the meshes of the cloth. The cloth can be covered with the paper pulp on one or both sides, as it is desired. The coating will then be applied to this base material as hereinabove described. And in such case after the coating is applied to the paper surface, the parchmentizing treatment will not only securely anchor the coating in the paper layer but will also anchor the parchmentized paper in the woven material yielding a product of great strength.

I claim:

1. The process which comprises applying to one surface of a porous cellulosic base an extremely thin coating composed of material that is not to affected by the chemicals used in the parchmentization of fibrous matter and having sufficient fluidity to anchor itself thoroughly in the pores of said cellulosic base and then parchmentizing the base whereby that portion of the I coating material which is contained in the pores of said base is caused to be tenaciously held therein by the parchmentized fibers of said base and the coating material which covers the surface of the parchmentized base is held thereto in inseparable relation.

2. The process which comprises applying to one surface of a waterleaf sheet a coating composed of material that is not affected by the chemicals used in the parchmentization of fibrous matter and having suflicient fluidity to anchor itself thoroughly in the pores of the waterleaf sheet and then parchmentizing the waterleaf portion of the combined structure whereby the coated surface is contorted into. a leather-resembling, c0 irr'e'gularly grained shape and that portion of the coating material which is contained in the pores anchor itself thoroughly in the pores of "the waterleaf sheet, pa'rchmentizingthe waterleaf portion of the combined structure whereby the coated surface is contorted into a leather-resembling, irregularly grained shape and that portion of the coating material which is contained in the pores of said waterleaf sheet is caused to be tenaciously held therein by the parchmentized fibers of said sheet and the coating material which covers the surface of the parchmentized sheet is held thereto in inseparable relation, and

' then treating the resultant product with a hygroscopic material.

4. The process which comprises applying to one surface of a waterleaf sheet a coating of the nature of film scrap liquor of suflicient fluidity to anchor itself thoroughly in the pores of the waterleaf sheet leaving only an extremely thin covering on the surface thereof, and then parchmentizing the waterleaf portion of the combined structure whereby the coated surface is contorted into a leather-resembling, irregularly grained shape and thatportion of the coating material which is contained in the pores of said waterleaf sheet is caused to be tenaciously held therein by the parchmentized fibers of said sheet and the coating material which covers the surface of the parchmentized sheet is held thereto in inseparable relation.

5. The process which comprises applying to one surface of a waterleaf sheet a coating composed of material that is not affected by the chemicals used in the parchmentization of fibrous matter and having sufficient fluidity to anchor itself thoroughly in the pores of the waterleaf sheet, and then so rapidly parchmentizing the waterleaf portion of the combined structure as to parchmentize materially more actively the outer, surface of the waterleaf than its inner portion, and finally stripping the parchmentized.

waterleaf sheet from the coating layer, leavin associated with the thoroughly anchored coating a layer of fibers parchmentized to a less degree than the outer surface of the stripped sheet of the parchmentized waterleaf.

6. The process which comprises applying to one surface of a waterleaf sheet a coating composed of material that is not affected by the chemicals used in the parchmentization of fibrous matter and having sufficient fluidity to anchor itself thoroughly in the pores of the waterleaf sheet,

and then so rapidly parchmentizing the waterleaf portion of the combined structure as to parchme tize materially more actively the outer surface 9 the waterleaf than its inner portion, and finally stripping the parchmentized waterleaf sheet from the coating layer, leaving associated with the thoroughly anchored coating, a 'layer of fuzzy fibers parchmentized to a less degree than the outer surface of the stripped sheet of the parchmentized waterleaf and also leaving mentizing treatment thereby causing the coating to be converted from a smooth to an irregularly distorted surface resembling leather and causing that portion of the coating material which is contained in the pores of said sheet to be tena- .3 ciously'held therein by the parchmentized fibers thereof whereby the coating material which covers the surface of the parchmentized sheet is held thereto in inseparable relation.

8. The process which comprises forming an ab- 10 sorbent layer of vegetable pulp upon one surface of a base of woven texture having meshes sufficiently open for the pulp to anchor itself therein, applying to the surface of the composite structure a coating composed of material that is not affected by the chemicals used in the parchmentization of fibrous matter and having suflicient fluidity to anchor-itself thoroughly vin the pores of the pulp, and then subjecting the material to a parchmentizing treatment whereby that portion of the coating material which is contained in the pores of the pulp layer is caused mentized side of said layer having a tough relatively impermeable surface and said other side having a fuzzy surface. a I

10. A product comprising a layer of vegetable fibers parchmentized throughout its mass, said layer being parchmentized to a greater degree on one side than on the other side, the more parchmentized side of said layer having a tough relatively impermeable surface andsaid other side having a fuzzy surface, and coating material 40 anchored in the fuzzy side of said layer and .tenaciously held thereto in inseparable relation by the fuzzy portions thereof.

11. A product comprising a layer of vegetable fibers parchmentized throughout its mass and a coating carried by said layer, a portion of the material constituting said coating penetrating the surface of said layer and extending into the body of said layer in the form of microscopic legs, said legs beingtenaciously held in the body of said layer, in gripped relation, by the parch- I mentized fibers thereof so that that portion of the coating which covers the surface of said layer is held thereto in inseparable relation.

12. A product such as is defined in claim 11 in which said layer is well parchmentized on its uncoated surface and less so in the direction of and at its uncoated surface.

13. A product such as is defined in claim 11 in which said layer comprises a base of woven tex- 0 ture and a a layer of parchmentized vegetable fibers formed in said woven base,- the parchmentized fibers oLwhich extend into and are anchored in the meshes of the woven base.

v 14. A product such as is defined in claim 11 in 5 which the coating carried by said layer is composed of film scrap liquor.

ERVIN E. S'I'RAWN. 

